Navy IDs SEAL killed in Ariz. parachuting accident

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) ? Brett D. Shadle always had wanted to be a member of the Navy's most elite special forces unit. A year after enlisting, he made it happen and went on to become a highly decorated member of the Navy's famed SEAL Team 6.

U.S. military officials confirmed Saturday that Shadle, a 31-year-old special warfare operator chief, died Thursday when he and another SEAL collided in midair during a parachute training exercise over the rugged desert of southern Arizona.

Shadle was taken to University of Arizona Medical Center in Tucson, where he was pronounced dead. The other SEAL ? an unidentified E-6 petty officer first class ? remained in stable condition Saturday at the Tucson hospital.

Military officials said the accident was under investigation. Shadle and a fellow SEAL were practicing "routine military free-fall training" when the accident occurred Thursday afternoon, said U.S. Special Operations Command spokesman Kenneth McGraw. The SEALs collided in midair and landed in separate areas.

Family members said Shadle, of Elizabethville, Pa., was stationed in Virginia. He was married and had a 2-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter.

His uncle, Donald Shadle, 67, of Elizabethville, expressed disbelief, saying his nephew had been on many overseas missions only to come back and get killed during a training exercise.

"He was always a good kid, and he always wanted to be a Navy SEAL and that's what he did," Donald Shadle said.

Shadle enlisted in the Navy in July 2000. The following year, he completed his SEAL training and was assigned to his first unit in early 2002.

Navy officials said Shadle had earned multiple Bronze Star medals with Valor and several service ribbons. While details about his deployments were secret, officials confirmed he had served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Navy's SEAL Team 6 gained international attention when it was revealed that members of the top secret unit had carried out a raid in Pakistan in 2011 in which Osama bin Laden was killed. Bin Laden became the most wanted man in the world after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that killed almost 3,000 people.

Team 6 was hit hard later that year when 22 SEALs from the special unit were killed when the helicopter they were riding in was apparently hit by an insurgent's rocket-propelled grenade in Afghanistan. None of those killed was part of the bin Laden raid, but their deaths marked the nation's single deadliest day of the decade-long war in Afghanistan.

Special Operations Command has a parachute testing and training facility at the Pinal Airpark northeast of Tucson, McGraw said. Training programs are operated there year-round.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer ordered flags lowered to half-staff until sundown Saturday.

"His death illustrates once again the daily risks our service members face at home and abroad, whether in combat or training," she said. "I ask that Arizonans join me in praying for Chief Shadle's friends, family and fellow service members, including the second SEAL injured during Thursday's tragic accident."

___

Associated Press writers Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, N.M., and Ron Todt in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-30-Special%20Forces-Parachute%20Accident/id-8bcd85997e944b8c91c58a3713cfcfb3

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Dolan: Catholic Church's Nature Means It Will be Out of Touch Sometimes (ABC News)

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Parkinson's disease protein gums up garbage disposal system in cells

Friday, March 29, 2013

Clumps of ?-synuclein protein in nerve cells are hallmarks of many degenerative brain diseases, most notably Parkinson's disease.

"No one has been able to determine if Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites, hallmark pathologies in Parkinson's disease can be degraded," says Virginia Lee, PhD, director of the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.

"With the new neuron model system of Parkinson's disease pathologies our lab has developed recently, we demonstrated that these aberrant clumps in cells resist degradation as well as impair the function of the macroautophagy system, one of the major garbage disposal systems within the cell."

Macroautophagy, literally self eating, is the degradation of unnecessary or dysfunctional cellular bits and pieces by a compartment in the cell called the lysosome.

Lee, also a professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and colleagues published their results in the early online edition of the Journal of Biological Chemistry this week.

Alpha-synuclein (?-syn ) diseases all have clumps of the protein and include Parkinson's disease (PD), and array of related disorders: PD with dementia , dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy. In most of these, ?-syn forms insoluble aggregates of stringy fibrils that accumulate in the cell body and extensions of neurons.

These unwanted ?-syn clumps are modified by abnormal attachments of many phosphate chemical groups as well as by the protein ubiquitin, a molecular tag for degradation. They are widely distributed in the central nervous system, where they are associated with neuron loss.

Using cell models in which intracellular ?-syn clumps accumulate after taking up synthetic ?-syn fibrils, the team showed that ?-syn inclusions cannot be degraded, even though they are located near the lysosome and the proteasome, another type of garbage disposal in the cell.

The ?-syn aggregates persist even after soluble ?-syn levels within the cell are substantially reduced, suggesting that once formed, the ?-syn inclusions are resistant to being cleared. What's more, they found that ?-syn aggregates impair the overall autophagy degradative process by delaying the maturation of autophagy machines known as autophagosomes, which may contribute to the increased cell death seen in clump-filled nerve cells. Understanding the impact of ?-syn aggregates on autophagy may help elucidate therapies for ?-syn-related neurodegeneration.

###

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine: http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/

Thanks to University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127519/Parkinson_s_disease_protein_gums_up_garbage_disposal_system_in_cells

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From Dallas to Damascus: The Texas 'straight shooter' who could replace Syria's Assad

Ozan Kose / AFP - Getty Images

Ghassan Hitto, speaking to reporters after his March 18 election as Syria's interim prime minister.

By Ayman Mohyeldin and Alastair Jamieson, NBC News

He is a ?straight shooter? from Texas who worked as a telecoms executive until November. But Ghassan Hitto now finds himself the presumptive caretaker-leader of Syria as world powers plot the end of Bashar Assad?s crumbling regime.

The American citizen, born in Syria, is the new prime minister of the opposition?s interim government ? the apparatus that the international community hopes will seal the end of Assad?s rule.

Friends describe Hitto, 50, as ?sincere? and ?practical,? but the charismatic technocrat will need all the charm he can muster to unify Syria?s fragmented opposition.

His rapid rise has prompted questions about how the deadly conflict should end and has cast a light on infighting, fueled by regional countries purportedly supporting certain opposition figures.

The Free Syrian Army, one of the key rebel groups fighting Assad?s forces on the ground inside Syria, responded to Hitto?s appointment in Istanbul on March 18 by refusing to recognize his authority.

---

?The situation there is so dire, I?m afraid for him,? said Mustafa Carroll,?who worked alongside Hitto in Texas as a volunteer at Muslim advocacy groups. ?It?s a big responsibility and it?s very complicated.?

?He?s a straight shooter, very sincere, very well-regarded and a very active community person,? said Carroll, who is director of the Houston chapter of the Council for American-Islamic Relations.

Seen as Muslim Brotherhood's pick
Hitto, a father of four, lived in the U.S. for three decades, most recently on the outskirts of Dallas working as director of operations for telecoms supplier Inovar, where co-worker?Arshad Syed remembers him as "honest" and "personable."

He left Syria in the early 1980s and received an MBA at Indiana Wesleyan University on top of a degree in computer science and mathematics from Purdue University in Indianapolis.

Strongly active in community groups, he was a member of the board of directors at the private Islamic school Bright Horizons Academy, in Garland, Texas, where his wife Suzanne still teaches English.

In November, he made the decision to get involved in the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces -- the international grouping that seeks to end Syria?s civil war on the condition that Assad is removed from power.

/

A look back at the conflict that has overtaken the country.

?Like a lot of people living away, he just wanted to help his homeland,? said Carroll.

Hitto?s wife did not return calls, but the academy issued a statement describing him as ?a practical man with great management experience.?

It said: ?He was always open minded and open to debate. He conducted himself with the highest honesty and integrity. His talent for bringing people together for the common good will be missed in our community.?

Hitto, a respected technocrat but an inexperienced politician, won the overwhelming number of votes from those who cast a ballot -- other possible candidates that included a former Syrian regime official -- but some members of the Coalition boycotted the vote in protest at the process.

Not everyone was convinced the opposition needed an interim government, seeing it as yet another organization that could compete for control of a post-Assad Syria.

Official spokesman Walid al-Bunni walked out of the vote in protest and Moaz al-Khatib, president of the Coalition, resigned and had to be persuaded back on board just in time for the Arab Summit in Doha, which began Tuesday.

?Hitto?s whole role has been undermined from the start,? said Christopher Phillips, associate fellow of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at U.K. think tank, Chatham House.

?He?s very much the Muslim Brotherhood?s man, and is seen as such. There was a lot of pressure to get an interim opposition leader in place ahead of the Doha talks, but the way in which it was done, and the choice of very much the man that Qatar and Turkey wanted, has infuriated and alienated just about every key player in the process.?

Represents 'the some of the some'
Salman Shaik, director of the Brookings Center in Doha, said many Syrians "still regard the appointment of Hitto with suspicion." Even if Assad is toppled from power, Hitto is by no means certain of the authority he needs to implement free and fair elections.

?The huge elephant in the room is that there is no guarantee that, if and when the Assad regime falls, that any of the groups fighting in Syria will gather around this official opposition,? said Phillips. ?There are huge uncertainties in all of this.?

Abdulrahman al-Rashed, commentator and general manager of the Al Arabiya news channel, wrote: ?I am confident that Mr. Hitto is a respectable person and that he cares about Syria. But during this difficult time, we want a person who represents everyone and not only some Syrians. Some members of the Syrian coalition decided to choose Hitto but the coalition itself only represents some Syrians. Therefore, Hitto represents the some of the some!?

Yasser Tabarra, the Chicago-based legal adviser to the Coalition, says the interim government will focus on managing the 60 to 70 percent of the country that is liberated and controlled by opposition rebels.

The government would coordinate local management efforts, including establishing law and order, and delivering basic goods and services, Tabarra said.

Two key stumbling blocks remain: whether the Coalition should enter into any form of negotiations with the regime while Assad is still in power, and whether Hitto, an ethnic Kurd viewed as the Muslim Brotherhood's favored candidate, can unite the ideological differences between its liberal and Islamist members.

In his task, Hitto at least has the backing of the U.S.

?This is an individual who, out of concern for the Syrian people, left a very successful life in Texas to go and work on humanitarian relief for the people of his home country,? said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland after Hitto?s election.

?We?re very hopeful that his election will foster unity and cohesion among the opposition.?

NBC News' Becky Bratu contributed to this report.

?

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/2a2a8a9d/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C30A0C1750A0A980A0Efrom0Edallas0Eto0Edamascus0Ethe0Etexas0Estraight0Eshooter0Ewho0Ecould0Ereplace0Esyrias0Eassad0Dlite/story01.htm

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North readies rockets after U.S. flies stealth bombers over South

By David Chance and Phil Stewart

SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea put its rocket units on standby on Friday to attack U.S. military bases in South Korea and the Pacific, after the United States flew two nuclear-capable stealth bombers over the Korean peninsula in a rare show of force.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed off on the order at a midnight meeting of top generals and "judged the time has come to settle accounts with the U.S. imperialists in view of the prevailing situation", official KCNA news agency said.

On Thursday, the United States flew two radar-evading B-2 Spirit bombers on practice runs over South Korea, responding to a series of North Korean threats. They flew from the United States and back in what appeared to be the first exercise of its kind, designed to show America's ability to conduct long-range, precision strikes "quickly and at will", the U.S. military said.

The news of Kim's response was unusually swift.

"He finally signed the plan on technical preparations of strategic rockets of the KPA, ordering them to be standby for fire so that they may strike any time the U.S. mainland, its military bases in the operational theaters in the Pacific, including Hawaii and Guam, and those in south Korea," KCNA said.

The North has an arsenal of Soviet-era Scud missiles that can hit South Korea, but its longer-range missiles are untested. Independent assessments of its missile capability suggest it may have theoretical capacity to hit U.S. bases in Japan and Guam.

The North has launched a daily barrage of threats since early this month when the United States and the South, allies in the 1950-53 Korean War, began routine military drills.

The South and the United States have said the drills are purely defensive in nature and that no incident has taken place in the decades they have been conducted in various forms.

The United States also flew B-52 bombers over South Korea earlier this week.

The North has put its military on highest readiness to fight what it says are hostile forces conducting war drills. Its young leader has previously given "final orders" for its military to wage revolutionary war with the South.

Despite the tide of hostile rhetoric from Pyongyang, it has kept open a joint economic zone with the South which generates $2 billion a year in trade, money the impoverished state can ill-afford to lose.

Pyongyang has also canceled an armistice agreement with the United States that ended the Korean War and cut all communications hotlines with U.S. forces, the United Nations and South Korea.

U.S. SAYS NORTH ON DANGEROUS PATH

"The North Koreans have to understand that what they're doing is very dangerous," U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters at the Pentagon.

"We must make clear that these provocations by the North are taken by us very seriously and we'll respond to that."

The U.S. military said that its B-2 bombers had flown more than 6,500 miles to stage a trial bombing raid from their bases in Missouri as part of the Foal Eagle war drills being held with South Korea.

The bombers dropped inert munitions on the Jik Do Range, in South Korea, and then returned to the continental United States in a single, continuous mission, the military said.

Thursday's drill was the first time B-2s flew round-trip from the mainland United States over South Korea and dropped inert munitions, a Pentagon spokeswoman said.

Victor Cha, a North Korea expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the drill fit within the context of ramped efforts by the Pentagon to deter the North from acting upon any of its threats.

Asked whether he thought the latest moves could further aggravate tensions on the peninsula, Cha, a former White House official, said: "I don't think the situation can get any more aggravated than it already is."

Despite the shrill rhetoric from Pyongyang, few believe North Korea, formally known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, will risk starting a full-out war.

Still, Hagel, who on March 15 announced he was bolstering missile defenses over the growing North Korea threat, said all of the provocations by the North had to be taken seriously.

"Their very provocative actions and belligerent tone, it has ratcheted up the danger and we have to understand that reality," Hagel said, renewing a warning that the U.S. military was ready for "any eventuality" on the peninsula.

North Korea conducted a third nuclear weapons test in February in breach of U.N. sanctions and despite warnings from China, its one major diplomatic ally.

(Additional reporting by David Alexander in Washington; Editing by Warren Strobel, Paul Simao and Mark Bendeich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/north-readies-rockets-u-flies-stealth-bombers-over-231837163.html

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Define your boundaries at work: work/life balance ? Business ...

While you may have to do some things you don?t love on the job, you shouldn?t have to continually operate outside your comfort zone, says Mike Figliuolo, author of One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership.

Try to establish a line that you won?t cross or allow others to cross with you. Since everyone?s line is different, the only way people will know about your line is to teach them about it and let them know your limits, within the boundaries of your boss/admin relationship.

First, define those limits. Figliuolo suggests you take some time to write down answers to these questions to help you out.

• What kind of work is required for you to be happy with your job? Which specific tasks or activities do you find the most fulfilling?
• What kind of work or tasks would you love to eliminate from your daily routine?
• Which characteristics of your job would you like to maintain at all costs (e.g., flexibility, predictability, ambiguity, simplicity, complexity, independence)? In what kind of environment are you most productive?
• What characteristics of your job would you like to eliminate (e.g., flexibility, complexity, etc.)? In which environments are you unproductive or unhappy?
• How do you prefer your co-workers, bosses, and team members to interact with you? How do you prefer they not interact? What pet peeves do you have regarding how others treat you?
• Do you know someone who has an outstanding balance of doing work they are thrilled with compared to work they do not enjoy? How do they achieve that mix? What can you change about your own approach to work to better emulate them?
• Has there ever been a point in life where you had a good work/life balance? What were the circumstances surrounding that situation that made it work? ?? ??? ?

? Adapted from ?How to Set Better Boundaries at Work,? Mike Figliuolo, Thought Leaders.

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Florida university under fire over "Jesus" classroom exercise

MIAMI (Reuters) - A Florida university has come under fire over a professor's controversial classroom assignment that asked his students to write "Jesus" on a sheet of paper and then to step on it.

The incident earlier this month at the Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida, has prompted the school to issue an apology and led to a call from Florida's Republican Governor Rick Scott for an investigation.

"I am deeply disappointed in the recent actions of Florida Atlantic University faculty that raises significant questions over students' rights and the lessons being taught in our classrooms," Scott wrote in a letter to the head of Florida's state university board on Tuesday.

The classroom exercise was conducted as part of a course on intercultural communication at the public university.

It called for students to write the words "Jesus" in big letters on a piece of paper, place it on the floor and then to step on the paper. Students were then asked to describe how they felt.

School officials said the instructor told students they could choose whether to participate in the exercise, which was based on an example in a study guide to a course textbook and intended to provoke a discussion of cultural symbols.

In a recent statement, Florida Atlantic University said it will no longer use the exercise after it sparked criticism from some students.

"It was insensitive and unacceptable. Based on the offensive nature of the exercise, we will not use it again and have issued an apology to the community," the statement said.

In his letter, Scott said he wanted more than just an apology from the school.

"The professor's lesson was offensive, and even intolerant, to Christians and those of all faiths who deserve to be respected as Americans entitled to religious freedom," he wrote.

"I'm requesting a report of the incident, how it was handled and a statement of the university's policies to ensure this type of 'lesson' will not occur again," Scott added.

(Reporting by Kevin Gray; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/florida-university-under-fire-over-jesus-classroom-exercise-233947299.html

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Excerpts of Calif. gay marriage case at high court

Excerpts from the arguments before the Supreme Court on Tuesday about California's Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage, from a transcript released by the Supreme Court:

___

On whether the case should be before them (Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Anthony Kennedy):

ROBERTS: But a state can't authorize anyone to proceed in federal court, because that would leave the definition under Article III of the federal Constitution as to who can bring ? who has standing to bring claims up to each state. And I don't think we've ever allowed anything like that.

KENNEDY: The problem ? the problem with the case is that you're really asking, particularly because of the sociological evidence you cite, for us to go into uncharted waters, and you can play with that metaphor, there's a wonderful destination, it is a cliff. Whatever that was. ... But you're ? you're doing so in a ? in a case where the opinion is very narrow. Basically that once the state goes halfway, it has to go all the way or 70 percent of the way, and you're doing so in a case where there's a substantial question on ? on standing. I just wonder if ? if the case was properly granted.

___

On the question of children of same-sex parents (Kennedy and Charles Cooper, lawyer for the defenders of Proposition 8):

KENNEDY: I think there's ? there's substantial ? that there's substance to the point that sociological information is new. We have five years of information to weigh against 2,000 years of history or more. On the other hand, there is an immediate legal injury or legal ? what could be a legal injury, and that's the voice of these children. There are some 40,000 children in California, according to the red brief, that live with same-sex parents, and they want their parents to have full recognition and full status. The voice of those children is important in this case, don't you think?

COOPER (in response): I certainly would not dispute the importance of that consideration. That consideration especially in the political process, where this issue is being debated and will continue to be debated, certainly, in California. It's being debated elsewhere. But on that ? on that specific question, Your Honor, there simply is no data.

___

On the issue of same-sex marriage (Justice Samuel Alito):

ALITO: The one thing that the parties in this case seem to agree on is that marriage is very important. It's thought to be a fundamental building block of society and its preservation essential for the preservation of society. Traditional marriage has been around for thousands of years. Same-sex marriage is very new. I think it was first adopted in The Netherlands in 2000. So there isn't a lot of data about its effect. And it may turn out to be a ? a good thing; it may turn out not to be a good thing, as the supporters of Proposition 8 apparently believe.

___

On the question of redefining marriage (Justice Antonin Scalia):

SCALIA: Mr. Cooper, let me ? let me give you one ? one concrete thing. I don't know why you don't mention some concrete things. If you redefine marriage to include same-sex couples, you must ? you must permit adoption by same-sex couples, and there's ? there's considerable disagreement among ? among sociologists as to what the consequences of raising a child in a ? in a single-sex family, whether that is harmful to the child or not. Some states do not ? do not permit adoption by same-sex couples for that reason.

___

On the rights of same-sex couples (Theodore Olson, lawyer for two same-sex couples, and Roberts):

OLSON: This is a measure that walls off the institution of marriage, which is not society's right. It's an individual right that this Court again and again and again has said the right to get married, the right to have the relationship of marriage is a personal right. It's a part of the right of privacy, association, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

ROBERTS (in response): I'm not sure, counsel, that it makes ? I'm not sure that it's right to view this as excluding a particular group. When the institution of marriage developed historically, people didn't get around and say let's have this institution, but let's keep out homosexuals. The institution developed to serve purposes that, by their nature, didn't include homosexual couples. It is ? yes, you can say that it serves some of the other interests where it makes sense to include them, but not all the interests. And it seems to me, your friend argues on the other side, if you have an institution that pursues additional interests, you don't have to include everybody just because some other aspects of it can be applied to them.

___

On the Constitution and same-sex couples (Olson and Scalia):

SCALIA: The California Supreme Court decides what the law is. That's what we decide, right? We don't prescribe law for the future. We decide what the law is. I'm curious, when ? when did -- when did it become unconstitutional to exclude homosexual couples from marriage? 1791? 1868, when the Fourteenth Amendment was adopted? Sometimes ? some time after Baker, where we said it didn't even raise a substantial Federal question? When ? when ? when did the law become this?

OLSON: May I answer this in the form of a rhetorical question? When did it become unconstitutional to prohibit interracial marriages? When did it become unconstitutional to assign children to separate schools?

SCALIA: It's an easy question, I think, for that one. At ? at the time that the Equal Protection Clause was adopted. That's absolutely true. But don't give me a question to my question. (laughter) ... When do you think it became unconstitutional? Has it always been unconstitutional?

OLSON: When the California Supreme Court faced the decision, which it had never faced before, is ? does excluding gay and lesbian citizens, who are a class based upon their status as homosexuals ? is it ? is it constitutional.

___

On sexual orientation (Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Cooper):

SOTOMAYOR: Outside of the marriage context, can you think of any other rational basis, reason, for a state using sexual orientation as a factor in denying homosexuals benefits or imposing burdens on them? Is there any other rational decision-making that the government could make? Denying them a job, not granting them benefits of some sort, any other decision?

COOPER (in response): I cannot. I do not have any ? anything to offer you in that regard. ... We are saying the interest in marriage and the ? and the state's interest and society's interest in what we have framed as responsible procreation is ? is vital, but at bottom, with respect to those interests, our submission is that same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples are simply not similarly situated.

___

On procreation and age (Justice Elena Kagan and Cooper, and later Scalia):

KAGAN: If you are over the age of 55, you don't help us serve the government's interest in regulating procreation through marriage. So why is that different?

COOPER: Even with respect to couples over the age of 55, it is very rare that both couples ? both parties to the couple are infertile, and the traditional ? (laughter.)

KAGAN: No, really, because if the couple ? I can just assure you, if both the woman and the man are over the age of 55, there are not a lot of children coming out of that marriage. (laughter)

COOPER: Society's interest in responsible procreation isn't just with respect to the procreative capacities of the couple itself. The marital norm, which imposes the obligations of fidelity and monogamy, Your Honor, advances the interests in responsible procreation by making it more likely that neither party, including the fertile party to that ?

KAGAN: Actually, I'm not even ?

SCALIA: I suppose we could have a questionnaire at the marriage desk when people come in to get the marriage ? you know, Are you fertile or are you not fertile? (laughter) I suspect this court would hold that to be an unconstitutional invasion of privacy, don't you think?

KAGAN: Well, I just asked about age. I didn't ask about anything else. That's not ? we ask about people's age all the time.

COOPER: Your Honor, and even asking about age, you would have to ask if both parties are infertile. Again --

SCALIA: Strom Thurmond was ? was not the chairman of the Senate committee when Justice Kagan was confirmed. (laughter)

_____

Online: http://tinyurl.com/dxefy2a

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/excerpts-calif-gay-marriage-case-high-court-184341216--politics.html

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Catalyst in a teacup: New approach to chemical reduction

Mar. 24, 2013 ? Taking their inspiration from nature, scientists at the University of New South Wales have developed a new method for carrying out chemical reduction -- an industrial process used to produce fuels and chemicals that are vital for modern society.

Their catalyst-based approach has the big advantages that it uses cheap, replenishable reagents and it works well at room temperature and in air -- so much so, it can even be carried out safely in a teacup.

The research, by a team led by Associate Professor Stephen Colbran, of the UNSW School of Chemistry, has been published as the cover of the journal, Angewandte Chemie.

The catalyst they designed mimics the activity of naturally occurring enzymes that catalyse reduction, such as alcohol dehydrogenase in yeast, that helps produce alcohol from sugar.

"Industrial chemical reduction processes underpin human existence, but are unsustainable because they irreversibly consume reagents that are made at prohibitively high energy cost," Dr Colbran says.

"We believe our new biomimetic design may have wide applications in chemical reduction."

Chemical reduction involves the addition of electrons to a substance, and is the basis of making many fuels, including the sugars that plants produce during photosynthesis.

In industry, molecular hydrogen and reactive reagents such as sodium borohydride are used as reducing agents during the production of pharmaceuticals, agrichemicals and ammonia for fertiliser.

"Manufacture of these substances is energy costly, leads to the release of carbon dioxide and they are difficult to handle and store," Dr Colbran says. "So we decided to look at nature to see how nature does it."

The team combined a transition metal complex containing rhodium with a Hantzsch dihydropyridine -- an organic donor of a hydride ion similar to biological nicotinamides -- to produce the new bio-inspired catalyst. They tested it on a common process -- reduction of imines -- and were surprised to find it worked in ambient conditions with more than 90 per cent efficiency in most cases.

Dr Colbran even tested it out in a teacup. "I thought it would be a bit of fun. And it makes a serious point -- our catalyst system is very easy to use."

By coincidence, the research comes exactly a century after Alfred Werner won a Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his work on the structures of transition metal complexes. As well, his PhD supervisor, Arthur Hantzsch, discovered the way to synthesise dihydropyridines.

"It has only taken 100 years to combine the work of doctoral adviser and student into one molecule," Dr Colbran says.

A future aim is to try to convert the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, into the renewable fuel, methanol, much more efficiently.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of New South Wales.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Alex McSkimming, Mohan M. Bhadbhade, Stephen B. Colbran. Cover Picture: Bio-Inspired Catalytic Imine Reduction by Rhodium Complexes with Tethered Hantzsch Pyridinium Groups: Evidence for Direct Hydride Transfer from Dihydropyridine to Metal-Activated Substrate (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 12/2013). Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2013; 52 (12): 3283 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201301157

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/sapSPw1VCVg/130325111214.htm

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Commercial Real Estate: Theaters-anchored Napa center to add ...

After the November opening of the 12-screen movie complex at the 163,000-square-foot South Napa Century Center, the 15-acre project has set the construction premiere of one to three more retail buildings this summer.

Project owner Gasser South, LLC, managed by the Napa-based Peter A. and Vernice H. Gasser Foundation, is reviewing plans to submit to the city of Napa to build a 9,000-square-foot, single-story retail building just south of the Century Theaters building, according to Deborah Perry and Bill Kampton, the Colliers International team marketing the project.

One to three buildings could be under construction at South Napa Century Center this summer. (image credit: Shopworks LLC)

Enough leases are close to being signed that the next building could move forward. Two buildings with 12,000 and 6,000 square feet at the corner of Imola Avenue and Gasser Drive also could be built this summer, based on leases in advanced negotiations, the agents said.

?A lot of (letters of intent to lease) we?re holding because we want to keep an interesting local flair and not just tenants one would typically find in a local shopping center,? Ms. Perry said. ?We do not want to do? chains.?

Serious prospects include an upscale diner, Bay Area pizza restauranteur, wine bar, bike shop and a hair salon and school.

Also planned for the property are 34,000 square feet of retail space in three more buildings. Set to be built just west of the property are a health club and a 115-room hotel Hampton Inn & Suites hotel. Gasser has a lease pending for the fitness center, and South Carolina-based OTO Development has a purchase agreement for the hotel site.

***

A year and a half after an affiliate of San Francisco-based Pacific Urban Residential Properties, or PUR (purapts.com), purchased The Colonial Apartments, a 30-unit San Rafael complex, the San Francisco-based value-add investor of West Coast multifamily properties sold it for $6.9 million, or $230,000 a unit.

?The buyer rolled up its sleeves and massaged things that reduced expenses and increased income,? said Vince Schwab, who represented the seller with Erich Reichenbach also of Marcus & Millichap.

A big chunk of the savings came from retiring a long-term cable television contract for the complex, not an easy thing to do, according to the agents. PUR used its clout with the cable provider in working with a number of Bay Area units and complexes.

As a result, the 52-year-old complex on just more than an acre of ground at 155 Nova Albion Way sold in early March for nearly $2 million more than the previous sale and closed within three months of coming on the market. Twenty of the two-bedroom units are townhouses.

The buyer was Car Town Santa Clara, LLC, led by a Palo Alto private investor, represented by Michael Henshaw and Steve Souter also of Marcus & Millichap.

?

Submit items for this column to Business Journal Staff Writer Jeff Quackenbush, jquackenbush@busjrnl.com, 707-521-4256.

Source: http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/70838/commercial-real-estate-column-for-march-25-2013/

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Microsoft did not violate Google patent: ITC judge

Afterdawn.comWASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Microsoft Corp did not violate a patent owned by Google subsidiary Motorola Mobility when it made its popular Xbox, an administrative law judge at the International Trade Commission said in a preliminary decision issued on Friday.Trade Commission Judge Rules Microsoft Did Not Violate Google PatentForbesMicrosoft didn't infringe Google patent, ITC judge saysAfterdawn.comITC Rules in Favor of Microsoft in Patent Case by MotorolaThe Next WebEngadget?-Bloomberg?-The West Australianall 39 news articles?? ?

Read more at Yahoo!7 News.

Source: http://www.twytter.net/blog/microsoft-did-not-violate-google-patent-itc-judge-2/

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Kerry warns Iraq on Iran flights to Syria

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right meets with Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, March 24, 2013. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Sunday and will urge Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to make sure Iranian flights over Iraq do not carry arms and fighters to Syria, a U.S. official said. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right meets with Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, March 24, 2013. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Sunday and will urge Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to make sure Iranian flights over Iraq do not carry arms and fighters to Syria, a U.S. official said. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right meets with Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, second right, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, March 24, 2013. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Sunday and will urge Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to make sure Iranian flights over Iraq do not carry arms and fighters to Syria, a U.S. official said. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right, meets with Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, March 24, 2013. Kerry made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Sunday and will urge al-Maliki to make sure Iranian flights over Iraq do not carry arms and fighters to Syria, a U.S. official said. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, meets with Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, right, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, March 24, 2013. Kerry made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Sunday and will urge al-Maliki to make sure Iranian flights over Iraq do not carry arms and fighters to Syria, a U.S. official said. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right, arrives to meet with Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, not pictured, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, March 24, 2013. Kerry made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Sunday and will urge al-Maliki to make sure Iranian flights over Iraq do not carry arms and fighters to Syria, a U.S. official said. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)

BAGHDAD (AP) ? The U.S. has made clear that Iraq shouldn't allow Iran to use its airspace to ship weapons and fighters to Syria, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters Sunday during an unannounced trip to Baghdad.

Following private discussions with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Kerry said the two had a "very spirited discussion" on the subject of Iranian overflights. The U.S. believes the Iranian shipments are aiding Syrian President Bashar Assad and undermining Western-backed opposition groups.

"I made it very clear that for those of us who are engaged in an effort to see President Assad step down ... anything that supports President Assad is problematic," Kerry said.

Kerry also said that U.S. lawmakers and the American people are "increasingly watching what Iraq is doing and wondering how it is a partner."

In the absence of a complete ban on flights, the U.S. would at least like the planes to land and be inspected in Iraq to ensure that they are carrying humanitarian supplies. Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton secured a pledge from Iraq to inspect the flights last year, but since then only two aircraft have been checked by Iraqi authorities, according to U.S. officials.

The overflights have long been a source of contention between the U.S. and Iraq and Kerry will tell the Iraqis that allowing them to continue will make the situation in Syria worse and ultimately threaten Iraq's stability.

One senior U.S. official said the sheer number of overflights, which occur "close to daily," along with shipments trucked to Syria from Iran through Iraq, was inconsistent with claims they are only carrying humanitarian supplies. The official said it was in Iraq's interest to prevent the situation in Syria from deteriorating further, particularly as there are fears that al-Qaida-linked extremists may gain a foothold in the country as the Assad regime falters.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to publicly preview Kerry's meetings, said there are clear links between al-Qaida linked extremists operating in Syria and militants who are also carrying out terrorist attacks in Iraqi territory with increasing regularity.

A group of fighters in Syria known as Jabhat al-Nusra, a powerful offshoot of al-Qaida in Iraq that the U.S. has designated a terrorist organization, has claimed responsibility for most of the deadliest suicide bombings against regime and military facilities and, as a result, has gained popularity among some rebels.

Kerry will tell al-Maliki, a Shiite with close ties to Iran, that Iraq cannot be part of the political discussion about Syria's future until it clamps down on the Iranian shipments, the senior official said.

As Iraq approaches provincial elections next month, Kerry will also stress the importance of ensuring that all elements of society feel enfranchised, the official said. A recent decision to delay the polls in Anbar and Nineveh provinces is a "serious setback" to Iraq's democratic institutions and should be revisited, the official said.

In addition to al-Maliki, Kerry saw Iraqi parliament speaker parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, a Sunni, whose faction is at odds with Maliki's Shiia. Kerry also spoke by phone with Massoud Barzani, the head of the Kurdish Regional Government based in Irbil to encourage the Kurds not go ahead with unilateral actions - especially involving oil, like a pipeline deal with Turkey.

He will stress the "importance of maintaining the unity of Iraq," say that "separate efforts undercut the unity of the country" and that "the Kurdish republic cannot survive financially without the support of Baghdad," the official said.

Kerry's arrival came just three days after the anniversary of the U.S.-led war that began on March 20, 2003, with an airstrike on Dora Farms in southern Baghdad in a failed attempt to kill Hussein.

The invasion and toppling of Hussein sparked years of bloodshed as Sunni and Shiite militants battled U.S. forces and each other, leaving nearly 4,500 U.S. soldiers and more than 100,000 Iraqis dead.

Violence has ebbed sharply since the peak of Sunni-Shiite fighting that pushed the country to the brink of civil war in 2006 and 2007. But insurgents are still able to stage high-profile attacks, and sectarian and ethnic rivalries remain threats to the country's long-term stability.

Earlier this week, an al-Qaida in Iraq front group claimed responsibility nearly 20 attacks that killed 65 people across the country on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Islamic State of Iraq said it unleashed the car bombs and other explosions to avenge the executions and "massacres" of convicted Sunni inmates held in Iraqi prisons. Its claim came on the 10th anniversary of the start of the war, although it made no reference to the significance of the date.

Kerry arrived in Baghdad from Amman, where he had been accompanying President Barack Obama on his tour of Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan. His visit to Iraq is the first by a U.S. secretary of state since Clinton went in April 2009. During Obama's first term, the Iraq portfolio was largely delegated to Vice President Joe Biden.

Since Clinton's trip, the American diplomatic presence in Iraq has shrunk dramatically, most significantly since U.S. ended military operations in late 2011, according to officials. A year ago, there were 16,000 State Department employees and contractors in the country. As of Kerry's visit, that number had declined to 10,500 and it will drop to 5,100 by the end of 2013, officials said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-24-Mideast-Kerry/id-4b45687aed52402083b2caa1125e6986

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International roundup: New Sony phones, our HTC One review and Galaxy S4 chips

  

In the week that we reviewed the new HTC One, there was quite the gathering of stories from other major manufacturers. Samsung dropped a Snapdragon 600-shaped bomb on chipset-conscious UK fans. Sony finally took the wraps off its interesting new mid-ranger, the Xperia SP. And the LG Nexus 4 showed its face once again in the UK and Germany.

Check out some of the bigger international Android stories of the week after the break.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/3jprvhZ3YFo/story01.htm

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Coach leads Florida Gulf Coast to NCAA success

Florida Gulf Coast head coach Andy Enfield smiles during a news conference for a third-round game of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in Philadelphia. Florida Gulf Coast is scheduled to play San Diego State on Sunday. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

Florida Gulf Coast head coach Andy Enfield smiles during a news conference for a third-round game of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in Philadelphia. Florida Gulf Coast is scheduled to play San Diego State on Sunday. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

San Diego State's Jamaal Franklin, center, listens to a question with Deshawn Stephens, left, and Chase Tapley during a news conference for a third-round game of the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in Philadelphia. San Diego State is scheduled to play Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

San Diego State head coach Steve Fisher speaks during a news conference for a third-round game of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in Philadelphia. San Diego State is scheduled to play Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

Florida Gulf Coast head coach Andy Enfield walks to a news conference for a third-round game of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in Philadelphia. Florida Gulf Coast is scheduled to play San Diego State on Sunday. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? Build a state university in the swamplands of south Florida. Move the athletic program to the highest level in college sports and hire a self-made millionaire basketball coach. When his team makes the NCAA tournament, say in Year 2 of its eligibility, beat a tradition-rich opponent like a Georgetown.

That is Florida Gulf Coast University's formula for success.

It took 16 years, and now the school from south Florida is the talk of March Madness.

"Fort Myers is kind of rocking and rolling right now," FGCU forward Eddie Murray said Saturday, less than 24 hours after the No. 15 Eagles beat second-seeded Georgetown 78-68. "They're really excited. This is a big thing for the city and I'm glad we could deliver this."

It was one heck of a delivery.

Suddenly, a school with an enrollment of about 12,000, whose first graduating class wore the caps and gowns in 2001, is getting national attention because of a basketball team loaded with players whose best recruiting offers were from conferences like the Atlantic 10 and Missouri Valley.

The teenagers bought into the pitch from Andy Enfield, a coach made millions starting up a document imaging and contract management company in the health care industry, and who happens to be married to former supermodel Amanda Marcum. They have three children.

Hard to argue with that kind of salesman.

"Yes, we sold this vision," said Enfield, who has also spent time as an assistant coach in the NBA and at Florida State, and has been a shooting consultant for several NBA players. "It wasn't play San Diego State in the (third) round on a Sunday in Philadelphia, it was a vision of success, it was a vision of ... what they could expect in the classroom, off the court and on the basketball court. That's the vision we sell, and I think that's most recruiting. You have to let players know what they should expect from you during their time at school."

Enfield's motto is simple and he's lived up to it.

"I aim for the stars," he said.

Right now he's taking the team and the school with him.

"The biggest thing he's given me has just been confidence," Murray said. "There have been things technique-wise but the biggest thing has definitely been confidence."

The Eagles (25-10) put on a classic performance against Georgetown, putting on an offensive display unlike any seen against the Hoyas this season. Their 21-2 run in the second half stunned and delighted the sellout crowd at the Wells Fargo Center, and their ability to hold off final charge by the Big East team, sold the fans on the legitimacy of the win.

"Early on in the game I kind of thought that more people would be going for the underdog, but they weren't really too vocal in the beginning," Murray said. "As we started getting a couple of dunks here and there, knocking down a couple of 3s and going on a big run against Georgetown, the crowd really started to erupt, become more vocal. The place really started rocking there for a while. Yeah, all these people in Philadelphia have really come to like our team and are rooting for us."

So is a lot of the country, despite the Eagles shattering bracket sheets.

"I've received congratulatory message and advice from other coaches, people in the media, family, friends, people I haven't seen or heard from in 20 years," Enfield said, estimating his phone had 450 text messages ? and counting.

While Fort Myers and nearby Naples may be known for their retirement communities, the area also has some good golf courses, wetland areas ? and the wildlife that comes with them.

"You would see wild animals crossing the road," said Murray, a local who grew up about 20 miles away from the FGCU campus. "Personally, I've seen everything from wild boar, bobcats and, of course, alligators."

That didn't deter the students ? and basketball players ? from attending school on a campus just a few minutes from the Gulf of Mexico that has dorms overlooking a beach on a lake.

"I'm from Orlando, so even being from Florida, a lot of people that I'm close to, they didn't even know where Florida Gulf Coast was or they never heard of it," said Sherwood Brown, the Atlantic Sun player of the year, who led the Eagles against Georgetown with 24 points.

One person who knows something about FGCU is Steve Fisher, the coach of San Diego State (23-10), which will face the Eagles with a berth in the Sweet 16 at stake. A No. 15 seed has never made it to the regional semifinals, while the Aztecs are looking to do it for the second time in three seasons.

"I probably knew more than any coach in America about them because I've got a condo that I've had from my days in the Midwest in Fort Myers Beach, a stone's throw from Florida Gulf Coast," said Fisher, who coached Michigan to the 1989 national championship and two other Final Four appearances.

"I read all about them starting sports. I went over to the campus. I've been on the campus. I've toured it.

"They're good. I think it's legitimate."

Fisher said the low seeding and the short history has nothing to do with this team.

"If we were playing a shirts and skins game with all 64 teams and you brought all the teams out there and watched them warm up, you'd be hard pressed to say, 'Well, this is a team that's not supposed to win,'" he said. "They're good. They're talented. They're well-coached. And they played terrific last night."

The Aztecs broke open their 70-55 win over Oklahoma with a late run behind Jamal Franklin, who leads the San Diego State in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals.

"We can't get ahead to the Elite 8 or the Sweet 16," Franklin said. "Tomorrow is Sunday and that brings Florida Gulf Coast in our path and we've got to worry about playing a good team and we've got to worry about getting that win."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-23-NCAA-Florida%20Gulf%20Coast-San%20Diego%20St/id-1cf852088727453eb193fca218587fc4

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Mets plan to put Santana on DL

Associated Press Sports

updated 5:27 p.m. ET March 22, 2013

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) - The New York Mets say they plan to put pitcher Johan Santana on the disabled list for the start of the season.

Mets manager Terry Collins announced the team's intention on Friday.

Santana hasn't pitched in a spring training game this year and hasn't thrown a bullpen session since March 3. He went 6-9 last season and was shut down in August because of back problems.

The 33-year-old Santana is a two-time Cy Young winner. He'll stay at the Mets' spring camp when the season begins. The Mets open at home on April 1 against San Diego.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Second City savior

Posnanski: Theo Epstein is poised to restore the Cubs to their former glory, just as he did the Red Sox. Just not yet.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/51296591/ns/sports-baseball/

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Powerball jackpot tantalizes at $320 million

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) ? People across the country are hoping to pick the six winning Powerball numbers drawn Saturday night ? and the $320 million jackpot that comes with them.

The numbers are: 17, 29, 31, 52, 53 and Powerball 31.

No ticket matched all the numbers in Wednesday's Powerball drawing.

Neil Watson with the Nebraska Lottery says the current estimated jackpot of $320 million seems to be holding strong. The lump-sum cash option is $198.3 million.

Lottery officials say the current jackpot is the sixth highest in history. No one has won the Powerball jackpot since early February.

The holders of two winning tickets ? one purchased in Arizona and the other in Missouri ? shared $587.5 million in November, the largest Powerball jackpot in history.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-23-US-Powerball-Jackpot/id-44ae51c8c23a49bfb54d84840fe4bc2c

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Zotac Zbox ID83 Plus

The Zotac Zbox ID83 Plus ($472.99 list) is a reasonably priced small-form-factor desktop that packs a decent punch into its compact chassis. With a third-generation Intel "Ivy Bridge" processor, generous port selection, and support for dual-display output, it has the chops to go beyond its intended media-consumption purposes, in turn allowing users to dabble in some media creation as well as daily computing tasks. These attributes, alongside its sub-$500 sticker price, help overshadow its shortcomings, like the absence of an operating system or bundled peripherals, and make it a viable way to rev up any home theatre.

Design and Features
The Zbox ID83 Plus measures 7.4 by 1.7 by 7.4 inches (HWD), making it smaller than the Acer Aspire AX1930-UR10P but roughly on par with the compact Giada i53 Mini PC. With a silver strip lining the outer edges of its otherwise all-black body, its two-tone finish makes for an appealingly simple design. Although the glossy black portion invariably attracts fingerprints, chances are you won't be touching the system very often, since it will likely be nestled behind your TV or monitor. Given its tiny size and quiet fan operation, there's even a good chance that you'll forget it's there. A circular blue LED on the side of the chassis provides a cool visual effect, while the opposite side of the chassis sports four rubber feet to provide a grip for horizontal positioning. Alternatively, the system ships with a stand for vertical orientation as well as a VESA monitor mount.

The Zbox ID83 Plus crams an impressive number of ports onto its limited surface area. The front panel houses headphone and microphone jacks, a 6-in-1 card reader, and a USB 2.0 port. Another USB 2.0 port can be found on the top of the system, while the rear features a pair of USB 2.0 ports, a pair of USB 3.0 ports (marked in blue to prevent confusion), an Ethernet port, an optical S/PDIF (5.1 digital audio) port, and HDMI and DVI outputs. The latter two outputs allow for two displays to be used simultaneously. Additionally, the rear sports a screw-in jack for the bundled antenna, which helps strengthen the Zbox ID83's 802.11n/g/b Wi-Fi signal. The Zbox ID83 Plus also sports Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, so users can pair it with a wireless keyboard or mouse without having to deal with wires or with dongles. Although it does come with a remote that can navigate through your preferred media-playback interface, users must nevertheless separately purchase peripherals.

Opening the ZBox Nano AD12 Plus's chassis consists of removing a pair of thumbscrews on the bottom panel and popping off the side of the chassis, revealing some room for upgrades. Our test unit's single DIMM socket was occupied by a 4GB memory module, which can be replaced with a stick as large as 16GB. The included 500GB, 5,400rpm HDD, moreover, can be swapped with a more capacious 2.5-inch HDD or a solid-state-drive (SSD).

The Zbox ID83 Plus's 500GB 5,400rpm hard drive doesn't come with any bloatware. That's mostly due to the fact that it doesn't ship with an operating system, so users must spring extra cash for Windows 7 or 8 (we installed Windows 7 on our test unit). Moreover, since the system doesn't have an optical drive like the Lenovo H520s, installing the OS may entail the additional expense of an external optical drive.

Performance

With its 2.5GHz Intel Core i3-3120M CPU and 4GB RAM, the Zbox ID83 Plus packs a decent punch beneath its trim chassis. Its PCMark 7 score of 1,855 points fell behind the rest of its peers, like the Editors' Choice-winning Gateway SX2380-UR318 (2,056 points) and, to a greater extent, the Giada i53 Mini PC (4.337 points). Nevertheless, the Zbox ID83 Plus's Cinebench R11.5 score of 2.52 points managed to outmaneuver the the Gateway SX2380-UR318 (1.50 points) and the Giada i53 Mini PC (1.50 points) while falling short of the Aspire AX1930-UR10P (3.50 points) and the class-leading Lenovo H520s (4.90 points).

Although geared primarily toward media consumption, the Zbox ID83 Plus also displayed some finesse for moderate levels of media creation. It finished our Handbrake video-encoding test in 1 minute 26 seconds, edging past the i53 Mini PC by three seconds (1:26) and the Gateway SX2380-UR318 (2:25) by over a minute. Moreover, its performance in our Photoshop CS6 test (6:39) outflanked the Gateway SX2380-UR318 (7:26) while landing behind that of the i53 Mini PC (6:39) by a fairly sizable margin. Similarly, it exhibited some surefootedness for 3D rendering, with ascore of 1,118 points in 3DMark11, which came close to the class-leading Gateway SX2380-UR318 (1,170 points) while trumping the Giada i53 Mini PC (979 points).

The Zbox ID83 Plus's integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU isn't geared towards high-end gaming, so it unsurprisingly couldn't crack the 30 frames per second (fps) playability barrier in either our Heaven or Aliens vs. Predator benchmark tests.

With its third-generation Intel "Ivy Bridge" processor, generous port selection, and support for dual-display output, the Zotac Zbox ID83 Plus has the capacity to go beyond its intended media consumption purposes. Although this helps overshadow its shortcomings, it's not enough to bump the Gateway SX2380-UR318 off its perch as our current Editors' Choice. If you're a patient person who doesn't mind separately acquiring an OS and peripherals, though, it's a good way to rev up your home entertainment center.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/ZZvGc-4x32M/0,2817,2416942,00.asp

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Advances in inflammatory bowel disease -- what's new, what's next

Public release date: 22-Mar-2013
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Contact: Connie Hughes
connie.hughes@wolterskluwer.com
646-674-6348
Wolters Kluwer Health

Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America's 'Challenges in IBD Research' published in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Philadelphia, Pa. (March 22, 2013) Every five years, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) gathers top researchers in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to set the research agenda for the next five years. The findings and recommendations of these expert workgroups are presented in a series of detailed "Challenges in IBD Research" reports, now available in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, official journal of the CCFA. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

Each workgroup is assigned to specific topic areas including genetics, epidemiology and environmental factors, the "microbiome" (intestinal bacteria), epithelial cell biology, innate and adaptive immunity, clinical classification and prognostic models, and optimizing medical therapy. A special "Challenges in IBD Research" progress report appears in the March issue of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. The complete workgroup reports are available for direct download at http://links.lww.com/IBD/A77.

Experts Outline New Agenda for IBD Research

Based on a thorough review in each area, the workgroups have defined key research priorities for the next few years, including:

• Defining clinically relevant subgroups of IBD patientsusing different types of information to predict aggressiveness of disease, complications, and response to treatment.
• Understanding the environmental factors affecting the risk and course of IBDincluding environmental "triggers" and a specific focus on the role of diet.
• Clarifying the complex interrelationships among genes, bacteria, and epithelial and immune responsesfocusing on cellular pathways and critical cell types that may lead to new "therapeutic targets."
• Determining the optimal treatment approaches and strategies through comparative effectiveness studies.

The workgroup reports also identify the resources needed to carry out this ambitious research agenda, including a "centralized and distributable infrastructure" for integrated studies of IBD in humans and long-term follow-up studies of children and adults with IBD.

"Through development of the ambitious research goals outlined in this document, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America has again led the effort to further the understanding of IBD," said Dr. Lee Denson of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. "CCFA is keen to advance this research agenda in 2013 and beyond."

Building on Recent Scientific and Clinical Advances

The CCFA research agenda builds on recent advances in scientific and clinical research. They include major strides in IBD geneticsmore than 160 genes affecting susceptibility to Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis have now been identified. Using sophisticated techniques, researchers have gained new insights into the complex interactions between intestinal bacteria and immune responses, including the role of specific types of immune cells.

Clinical studies have improved the ability to predict the response to IBD treatment in children and to track the short- and long-term adverse effects of IBD treatments. Progress has also been made in understanding the risks and benefits of medical and surgical treatments for key patient subgroups, including pregnant women and newborns. These studies point the way toward future efforts to optimize treatment for individual patients with IBD.

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About Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases brings the most current information in clinical and basic sciences to physicians caring for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases, and investigators performing research in IBD and related fields. Each issue contains cutting-edge original basic science and clinical articles on diagnosis, treatment, and management of IBD from clinicians and researchers around the world. Coverage includes articles highlighting the unique and important issues in pediatric IBD, as well as articles pertaining to adult patients.

About the CCFA

The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America is a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to finding the cures for Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis. It was founded in 1967 by Irwin M. and Suzanne Rosenthal, William D. and Shelby Modell, and Henry D. Janowitz, M.D. Since our founding over four decades ago, CCFA has remained at the forefront of research in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Today, we fund cutting-edge studies at major medical institutions, nurture investigators at the early stages of their careers, and finance underdeveloped areas of research.

About Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) is a leading international publisher of trusted content delivered in innovative ways to practitioners, professionals and students to learn new skills, stay current on their practice, and make important decisions to improve patient care and clinical outcomes.

LWW is part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry. Wolters Kluwer Health is part of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company with 2012 annual revenues of 3.6 billion ($4.6 billion).

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 22-Mar-2013
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Contact: Connie Hughes
connie.hughes@wolterskluwer.com
646-674-6348
Wolters Kluwer Health

Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America's 'Challenges in IBD Research' published in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Philadelphia, Pa. (March 22, 2013) Every five years, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) gathers top researchers in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to set the research agenda for the next five years. The findings and recommendations of these expert workgroups are presented in a series of detailed "Challenges in IBD Research" reports, now available in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, official journal of the CCFA. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

Each workgroup is assigned to specific topic areas including genetics, epidemiology and environmental factors, the "microbiome" (intestinal bacteria), epithelial cell biology, innate and adaptive immunity, clinical classification and prognostic models, and optimizing medical therapy. A special "Challenges in IBD Research" progress report appears in the March issue of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. The complete workgroup reports are available for direct download at http://links.lww.com/IBD/A77.

Experts Outline New Agenda for IBD Research

Based on a thorough review in each area, the workgroups have defined key research priorities for the next few years, including:

• Defining clinically relevant subgroups of IBD patientsusing different types of information to predict aggressiveness of disease, complications, and response to treatment.
• Understanding the environmental factors affecting the risk and course of IBDincluding environmental "triggers" and a specific focus on the role of diet.
• Clarifying the complex interrelationships among genes, bacteria, and epithelial and immune responsesfocusing on cellular pathways and critical cell types that may lead to new "therapeutic targets."
• Determining the optimal treatment approaches and strategies through comparative effectiveness studies.

The workgroup reports also identify the resources needed to carry out this ambitious research agenda, including a "centralized and distributable infrastructure" for integrated studies of IBD in humans and long-term follow-up studies of children and adults with IBD.

"Through development of the ambitious research goals outlined in this document, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America has again led the effort to further the understanding of IBD," said Dr. Lee Denson of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. "CCFA is keen to advance this research agenda in 2013 and beyond."

Building on Recent Scientific and Clinical Advances

The CCFA research agenda builds on recent advances in scientific and clinical research. They include major strides in IBD geneticsmore than 160 genes affecting susceptibility to Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis have now been identified. Using sophisticated techniques, researchers have gained new insights into the complex interactions between intestinal bacteria and immune responses, including the role of specific types of immune cells.

Clinical studies have improved the ability to predict the response to IBD treatment in children and to track the short- and long-term adverse effects of IBD treatments. Progress has also been made in understanding the risks and benefits of medical and surgical treatments for key patient subgroups, including pregnant women and newborns. These studies point the way toward future efforts to optimize treatment for individual patients with IBD.

###

About Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases brings the most current information in clinical and basic sciences to physicians caring for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases, and investigators performing research in IBD and related fields. Each issue contains cutting-edge original basic science and clinical articles on diagnosis, treatment, and management of IBD from clinicians and researchers around the world. Coverage includes articles highlighting the unique and important issues in pediatric IBD, as well as articles pertaining to adult patients.

About the CCFA

The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America is a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to finding the cures for Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis. It was founded in 1967 by Irwin M. and Suzanne Rosenthal, William D. and Shelby Modell, and Henry D. Janowitz, M.D. Since our founding over four decades ago, CCFA has remained at the forefront of research in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Today, we fund cutting-edge studies at major medical institutions, nurture investigators at the early stages of their careers, and finance underdeveloped areas of research.

About Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) is a leading international publisher of trusted content delivered in innovative ways to practitioners, professionals and students to learn new skills, stay current on their practice, and make important decisions to improve patient care and clinical outcomes.

LWW is part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry. Wolters Kluwer Health is part of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company with 2012 annual revenues of 3.6 billion ($4.6 billion).

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/wkh-aii032213.php

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